The Mets and Nationals last met near the start of June and the Mets swept the Nationals, really kicking off the tremendous month of June that the Mets had. At the the time, the Nationals were four games below .500 and sweep (plus an additional loss) pushed them to seven games below. The Nationals then channeled the Mets and won eight of nine games. Since that hot streak the Nationals have cooled off a bit and are now five games below .500.
This is a big two weeks for the Mets. They have had a tremendously difficult schedule for the first half of the season and now have a lighter two weeks. Does June magic spill into July?
David Peterson has made five starts this season tossing 27 innings with a 3.67 ERA, 5.01 FIP, 1.481 WHIP and a 106 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only three runs over 10 1/3 innings from seven hits and eight walks while striking out 14 batters. His last two starts have featured season highs in both strikeouts and walks. On a positive note, he has tossed more than 100 pitches in his last two, after not getting to 90 in his first three. But 103 pitches his last time out only got 4 1/3 innings.
Peterson faced the Nationals back on June 4th and held them to two runs over 6 2/3 innings and the Mets would love another deep start like that one tonight. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:
- CJ Abrams 2-9, K
- Luis García Jr. 3-12, 3 K
- Joey Meneses 3-8, 2 2B, 2 BB, K
- Eddie Rosario 1-2
- Keibert Ruiz 2-10, K
- Nick Senzel 4-9, 2B, HR, K
- Lane Thomas 2-9, 2B, 2 BB, K
- Ildemaro Vargas 4-9, 2 2B, K
- Jesse Winker 2-4, 2B, K
- Jacob Young 2-2, BB
MacKenzie Gore has made 16 starts pitching 85 innings this season with a 3.60 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 1.388 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. Gore’s June got off to a rough start thanks to the Mets who got him for six runs over four innings from seven hits and four walks. He then allowed four earned runs over 17 innings over his next three starts before ending the month with another rough start (five runs in five innings). The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Pete Alonso 1-10, HR, BB, K
- Francisco Alvarez 0-2, 2 BB, K
- Harrison Bader 1-3
- José Iglesias 3-4
- Francisco Lindor 1-9, BB
- J.D. Martinez 1-4, HR, BB, K
- Jeff McNeil 6-7, BB
- Brandon Nimmo 3-11, 2B, BB, K
- Tyrone Taylor 1-5, HR, K
- Luis Torrens 0-2, 2 K
- Mark Vientos 1-3, HR, 2 BB, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo twice tied the game on Sunday. He went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer and three RBI’s. Since June 14th Nimmo is hitting .382/.485/.782 with six home runs. Sunday was the first time over this stretch where Nimmo has homered and the Mets lost the game. Keep riding this hot streak Nimmo!
- James Wood. The Nationals are welcoming the Mets to DC with James Wood’s Major League debut. MLB Pipeline has Wood as the Nationals #1 prospect and the #3 prospect overall in baseball. He found his way to the Nationals via the Juan Soto trade with the Padres a couple of season ago. The Nationals are hoping that James Wood can give their lineup the pop that it has been missing. Over 52 games in Rochester, Wood is hitting .353/.463/.595 with 10 homers. Overall he has 26 extra-base hits (out of 67 total hits) and 10 stolen bases.
- MLB Deferment Day. Hopefully by now you have read Mike Mayer’s fantastic, annual thread on MLB Deferments. Remember, it’s not just Bobby Bonilla. If you’re watching the Nationals local broadcast or MLB Network’s national broadcast, you’ll probably hear more about the Mets and Bobby Bonilla than other teams. Today is also the day the Nationals pay Max Scherzer 15 million while he plays for another team!
Let’s Go Mets!
